Astragalus glycyphyllos

Bear pepper ( Astragalus glycyphyllos )

The Bears pod ( Astragalus glycyphyllos ), also licorice - tragacanth or gum tragacanth Sweet called, is a species of the genus Astragalus ( Astragalus ) within the legume family ( Fabaceae ). The botanical name derives from the Greek glycyphyllos glykys = sweet and phyllon = leaf, because of the sweet-tasting leaves, from.

Description

The Bears pepper is a perennial, herbaceous plant with procumbent, ascending at the ends of stalks that can reach even 150 centimeters in length between 40 and 80 centimeters, in exceptional cases.

The leaves are 10-20 centimeters long and are pinnate with nine to fifteen broad elliptic partial leaves. The sweet-tasting leaves are two to four inches long and are bright green on the upper side. The bottom is hairy.

The Vielblütige racemose inflorescence is shorter than the leaves. The flowers, with pale greenish yellow petals are up to 15 millimeters long. The upwardly curved, almost sedentary legume is 30 to 40 millimeters long and four to five millimeters wide, with a beak extension.

The flowering time is mainly during the months of May to July.

Ecology

The Bears pod is a Hemikryptophyt and a Kriechstaude; it has root nodules with nitrogen -fixing bacteria.

The flowers are gay game " butterfly flowers with folding mechanism ". Pollinators are bumblebees and butterflies. "Steal" the nectar by bumblebees biting the corolla tube. Honey bees remove the nectar at the holes thus formed. The flowering time is mainly during the months of May to July.

The fruits are upwardly curved sleeves and they are zweifächrig by a false septum. For the random seed propagation is done by hoofed animals and animal propagation as Anhafter. In open spaces, but also wind propagation is possible as a floor roller. The seeds are cold to germinate.

Occurrence and location

This species is widespread in Central Europe and is absent in large areas of southern Europe. In Germany the species is quite common only in the northwest of the country they partially missing entirely. In Austria and Switzerland A. glycyphyllos is often found.

As the site forest edges, light bushes, forest beats are usually preferred on calcareous clay soils.

Use

The Bears pod is a valuable forage plant, whose leaves taste sweet.

Trivial names

In the German-speaking region or the other following trivial names were used for this species, some only regionally, related: the milk vetch (Silesia ), Wild Bockhorn, Christian roots, Christianwurtz, Erdmöhren ( Middle High German ), Erdmotten ( Middle High German ), limb soft, wild giggle, bulbous herb, tuberous root, Wild Kolengräcum, lacquer cracks, licorice vetch, Moren ( middle High German ), stone vetches (Silesia ), Stragel (Tyrol near Brixen ), Spineleaf and Wolf pods (Silesia ).